Leftover prayers for a country divided?

Pastors are insanely busy. If you are reading this, you are either not a pastor, or perhaps someone hoping to glean some prayer wisdom you can shoehorn into your busy life. You might be a recovering I-phone, email junkie like myself, wondering how to find time to talk to God, or stranger yet, learn how to listen for His voice. This might come as a shock to you but God doesn’t text and I’ve yet to dial him up on my cell phone and get a response. Perhaps you are just like me, a pastor who would love to see our country heal from its divisiveness but who sometimes is guilty of offering God leftover prayers.

Technology is great. We celebrated its birth and bought the lie it would make us more efficient, by becoming the solution to better communication. We were told, “You need to own a smart phone and plug in” with your tablet and laptop. Read any current newspaper and you will find new studies are popping up everywhere showing the effects of smart technology. Hospitals are filling up with computer addicts; schools are discovering learning impediment disorders from textaholic youth, teenager and college kids. Couples with a sour marriage are texting their divorce papers. Humans don’t own the technology we bought anymore…it owns us! Is it any wonder we can’t find quality time for prayer with God?

So I’m personally declaring war on smart technology in my own life and going back to some good old mono y mono communication with my heavenly Father. I’m long overdue for giving God my best time, instead of leftover prayers!

I’ve known for years that I should be praying more and in the past have fallen into the trap of same ole, same ole prayers. I can tell you exactly what I prayed for, who I prayed for and how long my prayers lasted … oh, say about 5 minutes at night with my wife. I would pray for everyone in our church during this time with a simple, “Lord bless our church family.” After all, I could cover a lot of ground in those few minutes given years of practice! My morning prayers couldn’t have been any longer, in truth, they were much shorter. “Lord help my day go well and keep me out of trouble”…and of course, IN JESUS NAME, AMEN! But, how often did I pray for our country? Ooops!

Now I might be overdramatizing a bit, but not much. If I was unimpressed with my own prayers, I can only imagine what God thought, in fact, He was lucky to get a word in edgewise. Come to think of it, I don’t recall Him saying anything, which brings me to my point. If you don’t listen for God to speak and if you don’t give Him time to speak, you will never hear His voice. That’s not rocket science, just fact!

I’ve always admired those who have an exemplary prayer life. I have held them in high esteem. It was easy to place them in a box and assume they must have the gift of prayer. Now I may not be the smartest pastor in God’s service, but I know enough about theology and spiritual giftedness to know there is no such gift. Prayer is a choice and God wants to hear your voice and He would love you to hear His voice as well …

AND this bring me to my point …

If you don’t like the way our country is headed, if you see the division in the United States and are hoping for change, then don’t offer God leftover prayers, but get specific and be sure to listen to His voice, as He most often speaks through His written word found in the Bible! I would suggest, God has already spoken to us and promises to heal our divided nation … if and when, those who are called by His name get specific in their prayers.

Consider the promise God made to Solomon after he had built the temple to worship God in 2 Chronicles chapter 7:13-14 as the “principle” revealed in the Old Testament is just as relevant today:

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

This promise of God to heal our country requires 3 things from those who are called by His name. Who are those who are “called by His name”? Christians bear the name of God and hence are the ones called to lead the charge. We are the ones who are called by God who has revealed Himself as the same God in both the Old and New Testament.

There are three things God tells His kids to do if we want to see our nation healed...

#1. Christians must humble themselves and PRAY!

#2. Christians must seek the face of God...WE must lead the charge and the much-needed change by seeking the will of our heavenly Father, which has always been to love others in the same way that God loves us...unconditionally!

#3. Christians must turn from their wicked ways. Notice the text does not address non-Christians. God is waiting for His own kids to repent from their wicked ways. I believe God is calling Christians to stop being hypocrites and to become the peacemakers of the world. We do this by forgiving others first and loving those who simple sin differently then we do. In other words, its time for Christians to stop judging others and stop giving God leftover prayers for our country and for those who are our neighbors. It’s time for Christians to make prayer a priority in each of our lives, because the change we long for is so great only God can heal a nation this divided and oftentimes he just waits on us to move in prayer first!

Let me encourage you to join others who long to see healing come to our nation at National Day of Prayer here in Sandpoint at Farmin Park, May 2, 12-1 p.m.

Dr. Steve Brown is pastor of North Summit Church. He can be reached at the church, 201 N. Division Ave., Sandpoint; or by calling 208-263-4818.